How to Interpret what you are Praying in Tongues

Recently I received a request about how to operate in tongues and interpretation. Spirit Life Training does have some tips about using this exercise in the ‘Building a Strong Spirit’ section of the book. However, I felt it was important to put a few tips down here also. Here is the request-

“Hi Tim.. I need help in learning how to activate interpretation of tongues.. I pray alot in tongues and have asked and believe I’ve received interpretation.. I have listened to Curry’s Diversities of tongues from seminar and I want to flow in that.. I know how important it is.. Thanks for any assistance!!”

This is a great question- and yes, it is very important to the spiritual life. Paul made it a special point to say this: “Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.” (1Cor. 14:13-15) The overall context is directed toward a corporate application, but there still is a personal benefit that Paul speaks of. The same edification that your spirit receives (and everything that your spirit’s edification positively impacts!), can also be understood and received by the mind through interpretation. Learning to personally pray and interpret your tongues is a skill that will provide an open door for the corporate gift of interpretation for the corporate gift of tongues to more easily flow in your life/church. Honestly, there are quite a few beneficial side effects when you become more confident in interpreting praying in tongues- and I will point out a few for you in this post. Please note: I am not writing this to prove any theological doctrines, just to give some practical pointers for those who want to see this gift become more fluent in their life.

This is what you need to do:

1) Pray that you may interpret. Yes, it is that simple. You ask, and expect to receive. It really is the same way that you received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and started speaking in tongues. You just expected to receive, and started speaking the words and syllables out of your mouth. You need to have the confidence that when you ask for the interpretation, you will receive. A sample prayer could be something like, “Father, I am asking for the interpretation of what I am praying and speaking in tongues. I thank You that I will receive it in Jesus Name.”

2) Start speaking in tongues. When you start speaking in tongues, it is important that you focus your attention on the flow coming from the inside of you- that ‘river of living water’. Be sensitive to the sounds, syllables, cadence, and strength of the words that are coming out of you. Keep your mind ‘ready to receive’ whatever English (or whatever your native language is) words start forming in the ‘hangar’ and are waiting to take off.

3) Speak until you feel you have said enough. This can seem extremely subjective I realize, but it is true. When you feel ‘satisfied’, or ‘full’ or for some reason you can sense you have said a complete thought, you can stop and wait for the interpretation. Of course, English words can start forming before you finish your ‘complete thought’ in tongues, but it will help you to finish your complete thought before you start launching out the interpretation.

4) Speak the interpretation when you have enough English to start speaking. The difference between speaking in tongues, and interpreting, is that when you are speaking in tongues, you do not know the next syllable/word/phrase that is coming out of your mouth until the split second that you speak it. When you are interpreting, you can only start speaking when you have the first few understandable words of the sentence. You might not get the whole sentence right off the bat, but it is important to step out in faith and speak the first few words that you do get. As you keep speaking, the more the interpretation and words will come.

5) Stop speaking when the ‘flow’ stops. Now, there are a few reasons why the ‘flow’ of English (again- whatever your native language is) would taper off and stop. First, fear can shut the flow down. This could be a sense of uncertainty in what you are saying, or fear of what others think (which would be a bit strange if you are doing this in your own private prayer time, but some people do bring their own perceptions of what others think in with them). Like Peter became afraid walking on water and started sinking when he took his eyes off Jesus and started focusing on the wind and the waves, so the flow can taper off when one allows fear to freeze them up. Second, and closely related- allowing yourself to become distracted will also disrupt the flow of interpretation. Don’t lose your focus on the flow coming from inside your spirit, and keep speaking it out until you have finished the ‘thought.’ The third way the flow of interpretation stops is … there is nothing left to interpret! The thought could have been completely communicated to that point, oryou could have started speaking out the interpretation in English before you first completed the flow in tongues. In the latter case, don’t try to make up something to finish the interpretation from your own head. (You should be able to tell when you switch channels from your spirit to just speaking from your head). In that instance, if the flow stops, no problem- just start speaking in tongues once again (steps 1-3), until you feel you have said enough. Then do steps 4 and 5 again.

6) Speak the interpretation in the same cadence and strength that you spoke in tongues with. It is for this reason that you must have a sense of liberty when you speak in tongues to begin with. You must be able to articulate exactly what is coming from your inner man in tongues without any intimidation. Lock onto the ‘frequency’ that seems to be inspiring the syllables, tone and strength of the message, and when you speak the interpretation in English, let it flow out in the same manner.

7) Keep up this cycle until you want to stop. You can repeat this process as long as you like!

8) You will probably wantto stop and take notes! I can’t tell you enough how inspirational this whole process is. When the Holy Spirit gives you the interpretation, it is full of life and revelation. I have been so awe-struck at times at what is spoken- sometimes those statements are so simple and profound. Truly a ‘word in due season.’ It will be particularly meaningful for your life and situations. Talk it out with God, and see what scriptures He shows you, and practical applications He gives you. This will translate your inspiration and revelation into personal transformation. So make sure to take the time to write it down in your prayer journal, so you can memorize and memorialize what He spoke through you.

9) There is a difference between interpretation and translation. It may seem like splitting hairs, but it is true. A translation is a word-for-word understanding of what is being said and this might not be possible due to a few factors. Tongues is a perfect language, and sometimes what is being said in tongues could not be said any better than that. So an interpretation would be the main understanding of what is being communicated. Not perfect, but still is inspired and powerful. And it is important to understand that what is spoken directly from the spirit (tongues) still does a powerful work IN and THROUGH the spirit. Interpretation gets your mind up to speed and renews it enough to take out some stops that might be hindering your transformation into the image of Christ. Another difference that interpretation will bring is that the length of interpretation might not equal the length of speaking in tongues. Your interpretation might be longer or shorter based on the ability of English to communicate the thought. So it is important not to add to or subtract from anything that comes forth in your interpretation, just let it flow as stated in step 5.

10) There are times when the interpretation is in a different style or timing. Even though it is important to match the same frequency in interpretation as you do in tongues, there are times when your interpretation is not able to be directly interpreted well in English, and you simply get a sense of what is being said, and/or you get a picture that gives the meaning of what is being prayed in tongues. This is still a valid and powerful interpretation, but the message is communicated in a different manner other than a straightforward English meaning. There are rare times also when the interpretation does NOT come right away. But sometimes the interpretation will come later on during the day (or night), and the Holy Spirit will remind you that it was the interpretation you asked for. Please note: when you are interceding in tongues/groaning, do not be surprised if you do not get a direct interpretation. At that point, just trust the Holy Spirit you will tell you what you need to know in order to pray a resolution to the issue at hand. There are a world of uses for tongues, and not all of them need an interpretation. These steps given here are simply related to the passage of scripture in 1 Cor.14:13-15. Also- don’t forget to use ‘singing in the spirit, and singing in the understanding.’ These spirit songs and interpretation songs are incredibly powerful. God not only gives the syllables and words, but also the melody. So amazing. Make sure you do it!

11) Becoming skilled in the flow of interpretation prepares you to flow easier in the prophetic. How the interpretation flows out of you, is almost the same as how the prophetic flows out of you. The faith it took to develop your skills in this area will prepare you in exercising other gifts as well. This is so true.

12) As always- the Word of God is the final authority. Some of the things you receive as a part of the interpretation may be almost directly scripture, and some things may be very unique thoughts. That doesn’t mean they should contradict scriptural principles and doctrine, but it is possible they challenge and change your belief system. If something is not against scripture, but is challenging, it is important to pray about it, and ask God how the Word of God confirms this understanding, and how you can change accordingly. If it is clearly against scripture, just toss it out and move on. Don’t beat yourself up about it, but stay in an attitude of faith that you will receive a clearer interpretation next time. Keep exercising and practicing- Don’t give up- the rewards are definitely worth it!

For more tips how to hone your skills and your spiritual gifting and calling- make sure to take advantage of the exercises in Spirit Life Training. Great for both individuals and small groups! Afterwards, two more supplementary ebooks are Dimensions of Spiritual Breakthrough and Dimensions of Mentality Breakthrough. Both of these ebooks are full of practical exercises to futher strengthen your spirit and renew your mind to release more of the Life and character of Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.

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23 Responses to "How to Interpret what you are Praying in Tongues"

Thank you for this article. I have a sincere desire to operate in the ‘higher gifts’ (“earnestly desire spiritual gifts”), and draw closer to God in wisdom and knowledge. With regards to this article, my struggle is determining whether the words that are formulating in my mind for the interpretation are my own (ie what I hope/want them to be, or what I’m just thinking on my own), or whether they’re truly being ‘placed there’ by the Spirit of God. I suppose the same could be said for me when I’m trying discern His voice during prayer – are they my thoughts, or is He really ‘injecting’ His flow into my mind? How can one discern the difference? I could think of scriptures and passages on my own accord, and mistake them for the Holy Spirit’s input, or vice versa – God bringing scriptures and passages to mind, or other thoughts, and I mistake them for my own…what do I do? All this applies to visions too – am I really seeing a vision, or just making up images in my mind when my eyes are closed? What does a vision even look like? Can I see it around me with my eyes open, whereby the spiritual imagery is superimposed on the natural? Or is it vivid pictures in the blackness when my eyes are closed? I’m waiting on God, seeking in much fasting and prayer, examining and repenting, and waiting some more…but nothing seems to be changing.

Thanks Reggie- Honestly, you just have to step out by faith. You seem to be worried about whether you are a ‘clean vessel’ able to tune in and receive from Him. Spirit Life Training is all about locking in each part of your being to your spirit, so you can set up your system to receive from Him. When you set up the system right, you soon find out that God has been wanting to transmit His thoughts to you all along, and you were DESIGNED to receive His thoughts and words in a way that you can personally relate with. That’s just the way God is- He wants to have a personal relationship with you, and make His Words known to you. Just follow the steps in the article by faith, and it will work. If you want to increase your confidence, that is what SLT is all about- please check it out. Thanks again!

Hey Chris- this is a good question. This is what works for me: It is best to be thinking about your intentions toward God. Who is He to you? What do you believe about Him? The Bible says that speaking in tongues glorifies and magnifies God- so maybe your heart should meditate on this- and this will open up the channels within to be ready to receive. I always am ‘checking on the inside’ seeking to discern what He is doing, and what I am sensing about how my spirit is working with Him. It is very important that I am fully giving myself over to Him, -my heart, soul, mind and strength. The measure that you use, is the measure that will be measured back to you. If you do this, it won’t take long before your mind is saturated with ‘God thoughts’ -He will give you something to be thinking about! And it will be full of LIFE and strength.

These are good ideas, but how can you be sure of the interpretation? I know that we should accept the interpretations by faith, but sometimes this is difficult. I guess that I need to hear the interpretations more clearly before I have the faith to speak them out. Do you think that all tongues should be interpreted? I speak with tongues more than anyone I know, but I don’t usually get the interpretation right away. Maybe, I am not supposed to know these things yet. I am not sure that God wants me to interpret all the tongues that I speak. How can I know for sure? Anything not of faith is sin, and I have to admit that I am uncertain about the interpretation sometimes. I just believe that God will reveal things to me when I am ready for them. Is this the wrong attitude to have? Should I be still after speaking in tongues, and always seek the interpretation? Thanks for the article.

Thanks Ryan for your comments. I realize that to follow these steps is like Jesus telling someone to step out on the water. There are a lot of thoughts that go through the mind beforehand that, unfortunately, can talk a person out of taking the step. The reason I say this, is that these are not simply good ideas, they are action steps. The only way to get good, is to give it a try. God knows what you are trying to do, and there will be no penalty from heaven because you took a step in faith. These steps have worked for me, and they will work for you. Honestly, the reason I can write this article is because this does NOT come naturally to me, I had to figure this out through study of the scripture, believing it, and taking steps of faith.

Ok- as for your other question- Do all tongues need to be interpreted? The Bible says ‘pray that he MAY interpret’. It depends on the function of the tongue whether it needs to be interpreted. Edification/Exhortation/Comfort (1 Cor 14) tongues usually can be interpreted. But Romans 8:26 groanings/intercession has a different function so it might not need to be interpreted. I go more in depth on the dimensions of tongues in the “Building in the Spirit” mp3s. Honestly, there is a whole WORLD available to speaking in tongues. Learning to interpret is just one tool to help your mind be renewed, and give another spiritual step of faith to walk in. This will end up helping trust God for other things by faith as a nice side effect. 🙂

I tried this today, I was not able to get any interpretation but was surprised of how God made me experience to sing in spirit..It was really amazing how the syllables and the melody was coming out of my mouth.It feels wonderful singing that song. This is my first time to experience singing in spirit.

Thank you for your suggested guidance. I will try them and see what happens. I received the gift of tongue this past Oct 2017 and was humbled. I want to know more about this gift and have same questions as posted here.

I do not want to over step Admin(Timothy) I just wanted to give some pointers.
1. I remember in scripture a question was asked to Jesus about how to have “MORE” faith. I remember Jesus saying something about having only a tiny tiny mustard seed of faith and you could say to a mountain move and it would move.
– What I am getting at is this; If you want a STRONG spirit (meaning a spirit that is prepared to start interpreting tongues without your own mind/body(flesh) interfering) then wrestle your flesh so that it is weak. Fasting weakens your flesh and strengthens your holy spirit. When my body was hungry or thirsty or tired and was wanting rest I always found my spirit strong and alert and my FAITH was naturally leaning on Jesus and my FAITH was stronger. When this happens so does SO MUCH MORE! You will naturally be much more receptive to the spiritual gifts of tongues.

Sounds great Michael. This really is what Spirit Life Training is all about. 🙂 It is not just fasting, there is way more to it than that. There is training the soul as well to align with your spirit. The whole book deals with strengthening your spirit, aligning your soul, and bringing your body into obedience to your spirit (the real you). The passage you are talking about is from Matt.17. The only issue with that advice is that Jesus Himself didn’t follow it in that instance, and He actually told them (while He was with them) that they don’t need to fast while they were with Him (Mark 2:18-22). But fasting is definitely a New Testament practice IF (and that is a big IF) they know its purpose. Fasting NEVER strengthens your spirit. There is no place in the Bible that says that. But it DOES put your body in its place, so you can REVEAL the treasure ALREADY WITHIN your spirit. There are many people who don’t get enough to eat, starving, etc who are grumpy and completely in their flesh. But if they fast for the purpose of FOCUS on the true strength released from the Word and the spirit (and the Holy Spirit), then that will release spiritual strength. This is what Isa 58 is talking about as well. But none of that is what this article on tongues is talking about though. 🙂
Praying in the Spirit (or praying in tongues) is so much better than fasting, because it is 100% spirit release through your body. Fasting works from the outside-in (or rather kills/disciplines the outside to hopefully give an opportunity to release the inside) but praying in the spirit releases the spirit from the inside-out! It is birthed from the spirit, and released through the body, instead of merely starting from the body, and hopefully getting to the spirit. Fasting is body-focused in a sense because you are directly fighting body desires, praying in the spirit is spirit-focused. Romans 8 says that through the SPIRIT we put to death the deeds of the body, not by fasting. But can we combine the two (like you suggested?) definitely!!! It definitely can help. But it is NOT as necessary as following the practical faith steps explained here to receive interpretation from God. If we make fasting a REQUIREMENT, it will eventually become a legalistic roadblock in our minds. (example- “I only can prepare myself to interpret if I have fasted beforehand” -which isn’t true) Remember, it only takes a mustard seed of faith- the faith of a child- just believe the Word- It is available for you and- You Can Do It. 🙂 Be blessed- and like you wrote, I am so glad you are receiving interpretation from God!

Hi I loved your teaching. Ive been studying the subject recently as when i’m speaking in tongues I tend to get a lot of scriptures. I did read that the when you pray in tongues, and your spirit is praying that the interpretation can be a prayer, But my question is can scriptures not words be classed as an interpretation.

Sure- it is possible! Usually I get scriptures as confirmations of the words I am getting, or sometimes I get a portion of a scripture that has a powerful meaning and pointed application. There is a different strength and emphasis when I get scriptures in an interpretation rather than if I am personally memorizing/meditating on a scripture, so that helps me know which is which.

Thanks so much! I used a voice app to record my prayer so I didn’t have to write so quick. I try to write the tongues language in the Greek alphabet because what is pronounced is easily written in Greek other than the Latin alphabet if that makes sense =)

Wow- that’s pretty amazing! The voice app is a good idea. I usually don’t try to worry about writing out the tongues, just the interpretation. It is in the interpretation where our mind is renewed by what is being said.

Praise God for leading me here.
I have also the Gift of Tongues. I am praying in tongues especially when we are having Household prayer meeting and worshiping. While praying in tongues, normally my eyes are closed.

Recently, I have experienced praying in tongues while my eyes are open. Is that possible?

I can see the surroundings and the people around me while my tongue continuously uttering words which I do not understand. One time, I even find myself, looking at the people one by one. Please help me enlighten on this. Thanks ahead and God bless.

Is there any way to discover if you also have the gift of interpretation?
I know, not all are having the gift of interpretation, but what if you actually have and you just don’t know
how to use it and you’re not even discerning for it?

The best way to set yourself up to receive the gift of interpretation, is to begin by asking for the interpretation of your own tongues. Once you are comfortable receiving and flowing with your own tongues and interpretation, it is much easier to receive public interpretation for someone else’s public gift of tongues. Thanks for asking!

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About me-

Timothy Jorgensen
Author - Pastor - Trainer - Speaker
With a strong teaching gift, Timothy Jorgensen ministers internationally with a passion to raise up breakthrough believers of all ages and backgrounds. He is a graduate of Spirit Life Bible College in California, and School of the Prophets in Malaysia, and holds ordination through John G. Lake Ministries and served as Wisconsin State Director for JGLM. He has spent years ministering in the US, New Zealand, Indonesia, Nepal and Malaysia. Tim and his wife Rina have two sons and currently reside in Madison, Wisconsin.